Education reporter

Athens was as hot as it’s ever been on Nov. 22, but National Weather Service forecasters said the weather will be more seasonal later this week after a storm front rolled through late Tuesday night and early today.

The thermometer at Athens-Ben Epps Airport rose to 79 right after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, tying a record set in 1983.

Atlanta’s high temperature was 77, setting a new record; Columbus and Macon broke or tied high temperature records Monday.

A cold front moving through indirectly boosted the high temperatures, said Kent McMullen, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Peachtree City weather station.

As the cold front pushed through, it helped draw warm air up across the Southeastern U.S., he said.

“A lot of air has been moving up from the Gulf, but that will end (Tuesday night),” he said.

The cold front will likely clear out by almost noon today, leaving behind clear skies and good weather for throwing around a football in the frontyard.

Today’s high will be about 69 degrees; Thanksgiving Day should be clear with a high of around 65 degrees, McMullen said.

“We might have a few showers (this) morning. It will be sunny on Thanksgiving,” he said.

The chance of rain will increase slightly over the weekend, though high temperatures will remain in the 60s, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday will feel more like winter, according to the forecast: a high temperature of 51 degrees and an overnight low in the low 30s.

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